“Ugh… Disgusting…”
Rachel’s face was contorted in disgust as she spoke.
Choi Hyun-seok, equally repulsed, furrowed his brow and stared ahead.
“Was it Almacen? It’s incredibly grotesque in person.”
“It’s a demonic beast that stores demonic energy. It wasn’t naturally born; it was created through experiments.”
“Whatever it is, it looks absolutely horrifying.”
Almacen.
This artificially created demonic beast had a truly grotesque appearance.
A round body like a ball.
A massive size, easily exceeding 5 meters in diameter.
Its skin, covered in bulging veins, pulsed like a heart, expanding and contracting.
A long tube extended from what appeared to be its mouth, and at the end of it, a seal-like demon was impaled.
“Now I understand why everyone was so desperate to avoid the Endurance Torture.”
“This is my first time seeing it in person, and I really can’t bear to look…”
Endurance Torture.
A punishment that forcibly extracts demonic energy from a demon’s body.
As she had declared, Hémis imposed the Endurance Torture on the demons who failed to pass the match.
“This is unfair! What did I do wrong to deserve the Endurance Torture?!”
In fact, right after the match ended, everyone thought that the Endurance Torture wouldn’t be carried out.
After all, there were 76 demons out of 100.
Moreover, these were powerful individuals with the strength of battalion commanders.
For humans, this would be akin to collectively torturing high-ranking nobles.
And all for the reason of being eliminated in a tournament.
However, Hémis was a legion commander who did what she said she would.
The morning after the match ended.
She mercilessly executed the punishment.
“No…! Get this disgusting tentacle away from me right now!”
The method of executing the Endurance Torture was simple.
The tentacles extending from the demonic beast Almacen pierced the body and sucked out demonic energy like a mosquito.
However, the ones being punished this time were individuals who were quite formidable, so it wasn’t easy.
They resisted to prevent their demonic energy from being taken.
Crack…!
The demonic beast Almacen tried to forcefully suck in the demonic energy with its tentacles, but the energy didn’t come out as if it were blocked by something.
Since it wasn’t originally created as a combat-type demonic beast, it was impossible to forcibly take the demonic energy of a battalion commander.
Hémis, who was watching the scene, sighed and moved.
“I told you it would be harder if you resisted. Why don’t you listen?”
“L, Legion Commander…”
“I clearly said that I would execute the punishment myself, so why bother wasting your strength?”
“Th, that’s…”
The demonic energy emanating from Hémis constricted his entire body.
The seal demon was sweating profusely as if he were caught in the rain.
“I, I’m sorry! Please, just spare me!”
He begged desperately, clasping his hands together.
Of course, it was a futile gesture.
Hémis placed her hand on the seal demon’s shoulder.
At the same time, his eyes widened, and a tremendous amount of demonic energy began to escape from his body.
Gurgle, gurgle!
Almacen pulsed vigorously to accept the suddenly surging demonic energy.
It was quite a struggle, as several times more energy than Almacen could originally absorb at once was rushing in.
“Keuheok…!”
Before he knew it, the seal demon’s eyes had rolled back, and foam was dripping from his mouth, having lost his demonic energy.
Soon after.
He collapsed to the ground, completely withered like a mummy.
Choi Hyun-seok and Rachel trembled as they watched the scene.
“He’s dead, right…?”
“Yes… He’s dead…”
He really died.
It was essentially the execution of a death sentence.
Hémis, who was smirking at the seal demon’s husk, raised her head.
“From now on, anyone who bothers me will end up like this, so don’t resist and accept it quietly. Understand?”
After that, it was smooth sailing.
The demons didn’t resist at all.
Some demons even pushed themselves into Almacen, urging it to take their demonic energy quickly.
Being deprived of demonic energy to the limit was terribly painful, and it took quite a long time to recover.
But it was better than dying.
Choi Hyun-seok, who watched the entire process, was able to reaffirm his resolve.
‘Final 10. I have to get in no matter what.’
Hémis’s words about sending him to the research lab.
He had secretly wondered if she was simply trying to scare him… but no.
If he didn’t make it into the top 10, he would really be sent to the research lab.
“If my arms and legs get stretched out, my future wife will hate it, right?”
“Even the most open-minded woman would have a hard time meeting a man with eight limbs.”
“Yeah, that’s true…”
“Having two heads would also be a problem.”
“Right.”
“Having multiple… down there…”
“Stop, stop it!!!”
Just how crazy is this insane angel?
Choi Hyun-seok glared at Rachel for a moment, then averted his gaze and fell back into thought.
‘I absolutely won’t go to the research lab to achieve my dream.’
Marrying a blonde noble lady.
Five children like rabbits.
Seeing his grandchildren running around in his old age in a mansion.
To make all of this happen, he had to start dating first.
But if he went to the research lab, dating would probably be out of the question.
Instead of a blonde noble lady, he might end up marrying an open-minded demon woman with about 10 limbs.
But that was not what Choi Hyun-seok wanted.
“It’s over, so let’s go back. We need to train quickly.”
“Yes!”
The execution of the Endurance Torture was already over.
On the way back to Bobo’s house.
Choi Hyun-seok’s eyes were shining brighter than usual.
***
After returning home.
Choi Hyun-seok comprehensively checked his condition for the first time in a while.
He felt the need to reorganize what he currently had, what he lacked, and what he would need in the future.
“First, let’s check the status window.”
Choi Hyun-seok opened the status window and carefully examined it.
▫Name: Choi Hyun-seok
▫Title: Aspiring Hero
▫Level: 466
·Strength: 170
·Agility: 165
·Stamina: 168
·Mana: 170
·Demonic Energy: ???
·Charisma: 74
·Bonus Points: –
▫Hero Points: 1300
▫Abilities: Pickaxing (C), Leadership (C), Cooking (D), Mana Manipulation (C), Demonic Energy Manipulation (D)
▫Skills: Raidrun-Style Combat, Raidrun-Style Combat Variation, Flomot, Nobilays
The most noticeable changes were the abilities and skills.
The ranks of ‘Mana Manipulation’ and ‘Demonic Energy Manipulation’ had risen considerably.
This was a natural result, as he had been focusing on handling mana and demonic energy.
These two were key to becoming stronger in the future, so he planned to continue training them steadily.
“Leadership also went up by one?”
‘Leadership,’ which had been stuck in place for quite some time, also rose one level in this battle, reaching C rank.
Choi Hyun-seok checked the detailed description of Leadership.
□ Leadership
‧ Rank: C
‧ Description: Efficiency increases when leading others.
‧ Effect:
– Increases the probability that those receiving instructions will follow the leader’s orders.
– Increases the probability that those receiving instructions will understand the leader’s orders.
– Increases the performance ability of those receiving instructions when carrying out the leader’s orders.
Choi Hyun-seok, after confirming the description, was slightly impressed.
“Oh, was the last phrase newly added as the rank went up?”
– Increases the performance ability of those receiving instructions when carrying out the leader’s orders.
This was an effect that wasn’t there before.
It seemed to be a newly added effect as the rank increased this time.
“I don’t know how much the efficiency will actually increase, but it’s better than nothing.”
He had a feeling that he would be fighting alongside others more and more in the future.
Leadership would shine even brighter in those situations.
Moreover, Leadership was also linked to the hidden stat, Charisma.
Because the higher the Charisma stat, the higher the efficiency of Leadership.
In summary, it was an ability that was more promising for the future than it was now.
“Nobilays, newly added to the skills. I need to complete this quickly as well.”
The fighting spirit ‘Nobilays’ created with Raidrun.
This was still an incomplete fighting spirit.
It required a very high level of proficiency as it involved handling both demonic energy and mana.
He would have to invest a lot of time in increasing the proficiency and refining Nobilays in the remaining ten days.
After some *jeongni* [organizing/tidying up] was done.
Choi Hyun-seok finally looked at the center of the status window.
▫Hero Points: 1300
“Hero Points… What do I do with these?”
He had hardly used them since obtaining a large number of Hero Points last time.
All he did was buy a combat power measuring device worth 150 points.
Choi Hyun-seok pondered where to spend the remaining Hero Points.
“It’s a waste to just keep hoarding them like this…”
“Just use them all up!”
“On what?”
“Well, you could buy abilities or items, couldn’t you?”
Choi Hyun-seok shook his head at Rachel’s words.
“Then we might not be able to use them when a necessary moment comes.”
Until now, Choi Hyun-seok had kept Hero Points as a kind of insurance.
Because there were many cases where he found the solution in the Hero Shop when he couldn’t see the future at all.
“Then just leave them alone!”
“We can buy abilities that we need right now and develop them, but it’s a bit of a waste to just leave them as they are, isn’t it?”
“Eek…!”
Rachel’s cheeks puffed up.
Dissatisfied either way.
It seemed like she had no intention of accepting whatever he said.
At this point, wasn’t her real purpose to tease him?
“Why did you even ask if you were just going to be *dapjeongneo* [already have an answer in mind] anyway!?”
“I’m not being *dapjeongneo* [already have an answer in mind], I’m asking for opinions.”
“You don’t listen even if I tell you!”
“Hmm, is there anything that can help right away, has a reasonable price, and has great potential for growth?”
It was when Choi Hyun-seok was muttering.
A rather familiar female voice was heard from behind him.
“Hey. Isn’t that a bit too greedy, even for you?”
Choi Hyun-seok turned around with a look of disbelief.
There was a woman he had encountered in front of Hémis’s office.
Park Hyun-ah, the legion commander of the 4th Corps of the Demon King’s army, was looking at him.
***
To define the first impression of Park Hyun-ah in one sentence:
‘A real crazy bitch.’
He still vividly remembered her headbutting his chest and causing a ruckus from the first meeting.
‘No. She’s not just a crazy bitch. She’s a legion commander, so she must be incredibly strong.’
Even the combat power measuring device that could measure up to 200,000 showed ‘Unable to Measure.’
And she was strong enough to occupy the position of legion commander in the Demon King’s army despite being a hero.
So, she’s not just a crazy bitch.
‘A really strong, really crazy bitch.’
She was a troublesome existence in many ways.
It was already a problem that she was really crazy, but it was hopeless because she was also really strong.
Choi Hyun-seok steadied his dizzy head and raised his hand.
“H, hello… H, how are you?”
Park Hyun-ah’s face crumpled as Choi Hyun-seok awkwardly greeted her like a broken robot.
“What’s with that shitty greeting? Did you eat something wrong?”
“Uh… yes.”
“Whatever. From what I’ve heard, you have Hero Points to spare? How many do you have?”
“I have 1300 points right now.”
“What’s the shop rank?”
“Intermediate.”
“It won’t be of much use then.”
Park Hyun-ah said cynically as she sat on a rock.
Choi Hyun-seok cautiously looked at Park Hyun-ah.
‘Thankfully, it doesn’t seem like she came to pick a fight.’
If she didn’t come to pick a fight, Park Hyun-ah’s appearance would be quite welcome.
Although she was currently in the Demon King’s army, Park Hyun-ah was someone who had walked the path of a hero much earlier than Choi Hyun-seok.
Maybe he could get some help.
“Wouldn’t it be good to buy some decent abilities in advance?”
“Buying small things won’t be of much help. Fighting spirit is *gwaenchanhgin hande* [not bad], but you’re already learning several fighting spirits, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then don’t waste them on useless things, just save them and buy something like an otherworld space later. It’s guaranteed to be worth it.”
“Ah…”
Otherworld space.
She was probably talking about something like an inventory in an RPG game.
Choi Hyun-seok thought he should look it up later.
Then Park Hyun-ah turned to Choi Hyun-seok and opened her mouth.
“Hey. You’re a hero for now, right?”
“Yes.”
“But why are you in the Demon King’s army?”
“Aren’t you… in the Demon King’s army as well, Legion Commander?”
“I am.”
Unexpectedly, Park Hyun-ah readily admitted it.
‘Well, that’s not important,’ she muttered, looking like she was thinking about something.
A moment of silence followed.
Park Hyun-ah spoke again.
“How are you using demonic energy and mana together?”
“It just happened.”
“It just happened?”
“Yes. It really just happened…”
Choi Hyun-seok and Park Hyun-ah’s eyes met.
Park Hyun-ah, who had been quietly looking into Choi Hyun-seok’s eyes, nodded.
“Okay. It just happened. That’s possible. It just happened that you use demonic energy, use mana, and a hero can be in the Demon King’s army. Everything can happen if it just happens. Right? Everything in the world just flows that way. That’s right.”
“…”
“Want to die?”
“I’m sorry.”
The glaring gaze was stinging.
Choi Hyun-seok quietly turned his eyes away.
He looked at the distant mountains and prayed for this hellish time to end.
“Hey.”
“Yes.”
“Why don’t you come under me?”
“Yes?”
“No, just come under me.”
“…”
Choi Hyun-seok looked at Park Hyun-ah with widened eyes.
His bewildered eyes were trembling endlessly.
“Why? You don’t like it?”
“Ah… it’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just…”
“Want to die?”
Choi Hyun-seok closed his eyes.
‘Shit. At least the lip monster could communicate. This is just hopeless…’
How could he overcome this difficulty?
Choi Hyun-seok’s mind usually worked quickly in these situations, but this opponent was too strong.
He couldn’t see the answer at all.
‘Ah… I miss my mom.’
It was a day when he especially missed his endlessly kind mother.